In parts of the West, wildfire season got an early start this winter leaving destruction and despair in its wake. Wildfire season can’t be confined to the summer and early fall months anymore. For the past four decades, the season has gotten longer. This year in parts of southern California and northern Utah, communities saw its earliest outbreak of wildfires in January, due to an ongoing drought.

Here are some tips you can share with your communities on how to make their homes and property fire ready for the unpredictable wildfire season.

• Homeowners should remove piles of lumber, downed trees, dead leaves, pine needles, and other debris that can burn away from their property.